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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. field — for sport
  3. chip — to eat
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. field — a subject
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — music
  11. craft — boats
  12. object — to protest
  13. field — farmland
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bulb — for light
  16. craft — a skill
  17. chip — for betting
  18. object — a thing
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. pop — soda
  22. cue — a hint
  23. court — of law
  24. object — an aim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com